••• Having heard that Cubaneo has closed—it opened in the spring of 2019 in the Kim’s Service Department multi-tenant space with Shaker Mill and Modern Times—I went over to check it out. The Cubaneo part was blocked off, but I could see Broad Street Oyster Company founder Christopher Tompkins, a highly recognizable presence, working there. And then someone on the premises offered up that Broad Street should open there in a week or so. (Indeed, Shaker Mill posted that it’ll reopen on January 8.) P.S. Don’t be discouraged by the above photo—you can still access Modern Times via the alley to the south.
••• Mangione’s Italian Ice Co., on State between Victoria and Anapamu, is finally gearing up to open! It’s shooting for two months or so.
••• Montecito Wine Bistro has been closed since July for a revamp that was expected to be done by September, but the website now says we can expect a spring opening. Moreover, the Montecito Wine Bistro Instagram account has been deleted, which leads one to believe the restaurant might be reborn under a new name.
••• Choppa Poke on State Street has closed, which should not come as a surprise, as I reported in November that the owner is planning on opening a restaurant called Mokutan there. The Goleta one is still open.
••• The annex at Handlebar‘s outpost on E. Canon Perdido has opened, and it appears to be getting used solely for extra seating at this point.
••• In other coffee news, I had a strange experience at the Old Town Coffee inside Mosaic Locale on State Street the other day. After I paid with my phone, the barista said I was all set without even flipping the monitor around so I could tip. “We’re trying to encourage people to tip in cash,” she explained, adding that it was a way to avoid paying credit card companies their percentage. (And, I might add, it allows you to keep tips under the table.) All of which is fine, but I have to imagine that fewer and fewer people have cash on hand these days.
••• In case you missed it in the recent Odds & Ends post, the Isla boutique inside the Hotel Californian has closed, and according to a staffer, the Foley Food & Wine Society tasting room is going to be there (and not in the Blackbird restaurant space further down State Street, as was reported when news of Bill Foley buying the hotel was announced). By the way, Blackbird has a more robust food menu (online, anyway) than when the restaurant transitioned to more of a bar.
••• The folks at Petit Valentien sure know how to take a vacation: the restaurant is closed till the first week of February.
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I feel sad about Cubaneo closing. We need more diverse food in SB. Do you think you could find out how locals could purchase used kitchen equipment, plates, even furniture from restaurants after they close? I always wonder if they get bought up by other restaurants or are tossed.
selling the business to a new tenant as a designed space with tables, etc. and a kitchen with equipment is how a previous owner can recoup some of their investment. sometimes a warehouse in LA will buy and store components for future sale.
As much as I wanted to like Cubaneo, it wasn’t very Cuban. However, Broadstreet is AMAZING! Can’t wait. I’ll be munching on those lobster rolls like they’re going out of style.
Regarding tipping-PLEASE TIP!! This town has some very cheap but very wealthy people.
I feel sympathy for businesses that are concerned with paying fees on tips. But let’s all agree every one working in service deserves tips; whether cash or card.
Tipping is actually a really crappy institution and should be done away with. Restaurants, bars, coffee places, etc. should pay higher wages and can do so by raising prices on goods and services. I personally love when restaurants switch to gratuity-included pricing models. Some of our more high end restaurants have done so, and I believe this is a far more fair and just way of paying people rather than relying on the whims of patrons who may harbor biases, be in a bad mood, be out of cash (seriously, who carries cash these days? The only thing I use it for is farmers market), or who just happen to be cheapskates. I agree with you that there are a lot of extremely wealthy yet stingy people in town. The argument is well summarized here: https://www.eater.com/a/case-against-tipping
Great points, but until the industry changes I will continue to tip generously.
Sue: I went once for their Cuban sandwich which they advertised as using Benton’s bacon. It is my favorite bacon, and it’s from TN, so seeing it used locally made me extremely happy. However, I could hardly find any on my sandwich, and when I asked at the counter about it, I was told that because it’s “too salty” they used it sparingly. It’s only too salty when it’s overcooked–Benton’s even explains that in their informational flyer that comes in the package! Talk about not knowing your ingredients. I never went back, it was such a disappointing experience.
Pork palace’s bacon is excellent. They’re can be found at the SB farmers market.